Alarm at technology shortfall

Senior executives from business and the government have warned that a shortage of maths and technology graduates could result in Australia losing its capability to develop and innovate its own technologies, making the country dependent on overseas talent to drive economic growth.

The grim assessment was delivered yesterday during a Trans­Tasman Business Circle discussion as part of the annual SAS Forum in Sydney. The speakers were addressing more than 1000 technology buyers looking to use analytics software to improve business performance.

Bank of Queensland chief executive
David Liddy
, who chairs Queensland’s Smart State council, said Australia now “sits very low in the headcount" of graduates with the maths skills needed for technology jobs compared to nearby competing economies".

“Liberal arts studies are not going to get us where we are going to need to get, we need many more mathematicians and applied mathematicians to drive innovation in businesses," Mr Liddy said.

“India and China and places like that are spewing them out. The growth [in graduates] in the US and other developed countries has come mainly through immigration of skilled mathematicians."

Mr Liddy’s comments were echoed by Telecom New Zealand director Rod McGeoch (who is also chairman of SkyCity Entertainment group). Mr McGeoch said the carrier had discovered it was “so far off the pace" in terms of technology project execution it had called in Indian company Tech Mahindra to help.

“We’ve been found out once or twice, as the audience may know, in our networks breaking down," Mr McGeoch said.

Department of Human Services deputy secretary
John Wadeson
said his organisation wanted to take on about 150 IT graduates a year.

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“In two years we went to the market and got seven," Mr Wadeson said. “It is a very serious issue for us. We talk to universities all of the time [and] some places are saying they will only run information technology as part of a degree. They are just not getting enough students wanting to do the full IT degree."

Westpac chief economist
Bill Evans
was more optimistic. He said that because Australia was well placed to provide iron ore and coal to China, the country was likely to invest more in education as it became wealthier.

At the same time, Australia had the opportunity sell degrees to students from developing countries as they, too, grew more prosperous. He said education was an export opportunity for Australia.

“As their income rises we can export more than iron, coke and coal. That is where we have our com­parative advantage."